marisa_965

marisa · @marisa_965

5th Mar 2017 from TwitLonger

Great interview with @nilerodgers for the Brazilian newspaper Folha de S. Paulo. He mentions @adamlambert. I translated the best parts.

There's only a brief mention of Adam in the final paragraph. But I found the whole interview very interesting. Enjoy!

GOLDEN DISC
He was sucessful in the 80's with the band Chic, and produced albums by Bowie and Madonna. Here, Nile Rodgers talks about performing on Rock in Rio, racism in the music industry and why he's afraid of Trump


Nile Rodgers was one of the most important names of disco music in the 70's and 80's. But he got even more famous with the work he did offstage, producing albums from rock and pop legends like David Bowie and Madonna. More recently, he played with Lady Gaga and got a Grammy award for Get Lucky, a song he wrote with the French duo Daft Punk. Rodgers took a break from the recording of his new album to talk to the newspaper. This year, he will be one of the attractions of Rock in Rio.

The interview happened a few days after Beyoncé lost the Grammy of Album of the Year to Adele, leading to discussions about racism at the awards. "The music industry is as racist as the United States, it's a reflex of out country. I'm a multimillionaire, but when I'm driving and see a cop, I get worried. It's part of our system, we came here as slaves, not aboard romantic ships." Rodgers believes that racism is one of the reasons why Chic was rejected by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 11 times - Rodgers got an individual award last year. "I think people in those organizations base their decisions on their world views. And, most of the time, the people who vote see the world in a white perspective."

Rodgers also criticizes the Trump government, saying it scares him. "I've never seen the country in such a state as it is today". He's in charge or the We Are Family project, an initiative that brings young leaders from all over the world to make presentations in the United States. This year, five of his guest couldn't get visas because of the immigration restrictions created by the new president.

Among all the musicians from his past, he says David Bowie was the most fun to work with. "Looking back, that collaboration was also the most historical". He also talks about Madonna. After two weeks working with her, he knew she was gonna be "the world biggest star". "She was determined, and she worked very hard. Only people who work very hard get to that level. People like Madonna and Lady Gaga."

Although he's very happy to talk about past collaborations, he always gets back to the most recent work he's done. Right now, he's working with the pop singer Adam Lambert. "There are many projects that come out of nowhere. I'm at home or in the studio playing and a friend calls me and tells me he wants to work on something. It was like that with Bowie, with Daft Punk, and now, with Adam Lambert. My life is OK", he says.




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